Question

    In 2016, a young British father was trampled（踩踏）to death by an elephant on the island of Koh Samui in ThaiJand. The tragedy once again raised questions over whether it is ethical to use elephants as entertainment.

For many visitors, the chance to interact with elephants is at the top of their holiday wish list. There's no shortage of opportunities to do so, from taking photos of baby elephants to riding them through the jungle, to watching them dance.

But what most visitors don't realize is elephants are involved in extremely cruel methods to make them behave. They are often kept in terrible conditions. This includes being chained up when not performing, without interaction with other elephants, a poor diet, etc. They are also subjected to training practices including beatings. Away from their natural habitat and forced to repeat the same routines day in day out, which continues throughout their dramatically-shortened lives.  

Unfortunately, riding elephants is still one of the most popular tourist activities in Asia. The World Animal Protection investigated 3,000 elephants at tourist sites across Southern Asia in 2017. The study found that 77% of them were living in "severely cruel" conditions. It also found that there had been a 30% rise in the number of elephants at tourism venues in Thailand since 2010.

Many parks advertise themselves as sanctuaries (庇护所)but they aren’t. Real sanctuaries will limit contact with the elephants and visitors can only observe them from a distance most of the time.

The government needs to play a much bigger role in putting an end to elephant tourism. As travelers, please avoid any place offering riding or allowing interacting sessions with elephants. When you see abuse happening, do your bit by leaving your review on review sites and social media to warn other tourists. Many parks are now becoming ride-free as a result of pressure from tourists, the industry and the media.

1.What does the underlined word “ethical” most probably mean?

A.Safe B.Welcome C.Moral D.Available

2.What’s the third paragraph mainly about?

A.The cause of elephant tourism. B.The way of interacting with elephants.

C.The opportunities tourist can get. D.The worse condition elephants are in.

3.How does the writer support the main idea in Paragraph 4?

A.By making different comparisons B.By following the order of time and places.

C.By analyzing cause and effect. D.By giving examples and listing numbers.

4.What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A.The media and internet worked greater.

B.Riding elephants is free with tourists’ efforts.

C.Ending elephant tourism is necessary but hard.

D.Governments and tourists solved the problem together.

Answer

1.C

2.D

3.D

4.C

【解析】

本文是议论文。作者由大象踩踏事件引发讨论，揭露大象作为娱乐方式的残忍，呼吁游客行动起来保护大象。

1.

词句猜测题。分析句子可知，it是宾语从句中的形式主语，真正的主语是to use elephants as entertainment.，因此推断，从大象踩踏事故，再次引发人们对于使用大象作为娱乐方式是否是道德这个问题的讨论，下文内容是对此问题的剖析，故划线词词义与C项意思相近。故选C。

2.

主旨大意题。段落第一句But what most visitors don't realize is elephants are involved in extremely cruel methods to make them behave.点明了本段的主旨，大部分游客没有意识到，大象被残忍对待，让它们言听计从。下文内容对此进行了详细阐述。因此推断本段主要阐述了大象糟糕的生存状况。故选D。

3.

推理判断题。根据第四段提到的“investigated 3,000 elephants”“77% of them”“a 30% rise in the number of elephants”可推断，本段使用举例和列数字的方式说明主旨。故选D。

4.

推理判断题。根据最后一段的The government needs to play a much bigger role in putting an end to elephant tourism.( 政府需要在结束大象旅游方面发挥更大的作用)和下文Many parks are now becoming ride-free as a result of pressure from tourists, the industry and the media.( 由于来自游客、行业和媒体的压力，许多公园现在正变得免费)可推断，结束大象旅游时必要的但是困难的。故选C。